O.C. classrooms to change under Common Core

Oct. 21, 2012

Updated Sept. 1, 2014 4:11 a.m.

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Fourth-grader Reese Miller, second from left, gives a thumbs-up sign signifying to teacher Lynn Takacs that she comprehends the lesson. The student at far left gestures she's not quite sure. Some teachers at Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch have their students use hand gestures to visually indicate if they are "getting it." H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Chaparral Elementary School fourth-grader Frederikke Kristensen listens as fellow classmates provide feedback on her solution to a math problem. Teacher Lynn Takacs stresses student collaboration and creative problem solving. The Ladera Ranch school is adjusting teaching methods this year to prepare for the rollout of a new set of federal education guidelines known as the Common Core State Standards. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Students Max Imhoff, left, and Trey Milo interact with each other in the "Theater" zone of their classroom at Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch Wednesday. Teacher Lynn Takacs feels her students should be made accountable and should be engaged in the conversation. The school is preparing for rollout of the Common Core State Standards. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Student Chloe Dayton works near a motivational printout in her fourth-grade class at Chaparral Elementary School on a recent Wednesday. Teachers are preparing for the rollout of a new set of federal education guidelines known as the Common Core State Standards. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lynn Takacs' fourth-graders share with classmates how they individually arrived at solutions to math problems. Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch is adjusting teaching methods this year to prepare for the rollout of a new set of federal education guidelines known as the Common Core State Standards. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Trey Milo, a fourth-grader at Ladera Ranch's Chaparral Elementary School, describes how he arrived at a solution to a math problem. Classmates were encouraged to offer their observations. The school is preparing for the rollout of a new set of federal education guidelines known as the Common Core State Standards. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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During part of the school day, Reese Miller, left, and Emily Ulrich collaborate as they search for numerical values during a math lesson at Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch. They also worked individually and in larger groups. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Reese Miller, a fourth-grader at Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch, ponders a math problem. Students are getting ready for a new set of federal education guidelines known as the Common Core State Standards. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Chaparral Elementary School fourth-graders in Lynn Takacs' class compare how they arrived at their respective answers to a math problem. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Although not required for teachers, instructor Lynn Takacs can access a Common Core Standards app with her iPhone at Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Fourth-graders at Ladera Ranch's Chaparral Elementary School work on math exercises They are encouraged to come up with interesting ways to solve problems. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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As Samie Colunga writes a part of a new lesson plan on the wall, Shawna O'Brien, left, Lisa Stickles and Maureen Marushok, right, look on. All are Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists with the Santa Ana Unified School District working on a fourth-grade lesson plan during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Vivian Kusiak, left, and Maureen Marushok, both Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists, write parts of a new fourth-grade lesson plan into a laptop during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Vivian Kusiak, a Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialist, writes ideas for a new fourth-grade lesson plan on to a wall during a collaboration session Wednesday morning at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists Lisa Stickles, left, Shawna O'Brien, center, and Samie Colunga, right, collaborate as they work on a fourth-grade lesson plan recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. Their lesson plans will be passed along to classroom teachers to implement the new common core standards. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists, from left, Samie Colunga, Shawna O'Brien, Lisa Stickles, Vivian Kusiak, and Maureen Marushok work on a fourth-grade lesson plan during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. Their work will be passed along to classroom teachers to implement the new common core standards. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists, back row, from left, Samie Colunga, Lisa Stickles, Shawna O'Brien; front row, Maureen Marushok and Vivian Kusiak, work on a fourth grade lesson plan during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. Their work will be passed along to classroom teachers to implement the new common core standards. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Vivian Kusiak, left, and Maureen Marushok, both Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists, collaborate with other members of their group as they write a new fourth-grade lesson plan recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Samie Colunga writes a part of a new lesson plan on the wall during a fourth-grade lesson plan collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists, from left, Samie Colunga, Lisa Stickles, Shawna O'Brien work on a fourth-grade lesson plan during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. Their work will be passed along to classroom teachers to implement the state's new common core standards. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists work during a fourth grade lesson plan during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana which implements the state's new common core standards. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Judith Barden, left, director of staff development with the Santa Ana Unified School District, speaks with Certificated Learning and Achievement Specialists, from left, Samie Colunga, Lisa Stickles, Shawna O'Brien, Maureen Marushok and Vivian Kusiak, as they work on a fourth grade lesson plan during a collaboration session recently at John Adams Elementary in Santa Ana. Their work will be passed along to classroom teachers to implement the state's new common core standards. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Fourth-grader Reese Miller, second from left, gives a thumbs-up sign signifying to teacher Lynn Takacs that she comprehends the lesson. The student at far left gestures she's not quite sure. Some teachers at Chaparral Elementary School in Ladera Ranch have their students use hand gestures to visually indicate if they are "getting it."H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Common core costs

School districts aren't expected to incur exorbitant costs during the initial rollout of the common-core curriculum, primarily because there's no money for a full-scale swap-out of textbooks and other materials, educators say.

The state had required, and set aside funds for, districts to purchase new common core textbooks by fall 2013. But the requirement was suspended until at least July 2015 after lawmakers allowed districts to use the earmarked funds to help offset billions of dollars in general-fund cuts to education.

EdSource, a Bay Area think-tank that analyzes education policy, estimated last year that it could cost $800 million statewide to supply new common core textbooks. Some lawmakers have sponsored legislation to provide some funding for books, but nothing has made it to the governor's desk.

Timeline

Common Core standards: a chronological assessment

1997: State introduces California Content Standards, considered among the most rigorous curriculum nationally.

September. 2009: Governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia agree to develop the Common Core standards.

August 2010: California's Board of Education adopts plan for Common Core Content Standards.

2012-13 school year: Districts begin professional development of teachers in these new standards.

2013-14: Districts begin phasing in the standards in all schools and grade levels.

2014-15: Smarter assessment system based on the new standards becomes operational.

Chaparral Elementary School teacher Lynn Takacs isn't just seeking the correct answer from her fourth-graders when she asks, "How many times larger is 70 than 7?"

As pupils' hands shoot into the air during the morning math lesson, she reminds them she expects to hear different routes to arrive at the same answer.

"Since 70 is one step up in the place value chart, it's 10 times greater," Jack Thompson, 10, says.

"You could divide," Tia Nguyen, 9, offers – "70 divided by 10 is 7."

The emphasis on understanding how many ways a problem can be solved isn't just a common-sense approach to teaching; it's part of the rollout of the new federal Common Core State Standards, a teaching strategy that emphasizes big-picture, conceptual understanding and working collaboratively to develop greater mastery of topics.

Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards, replacing a hodgepodge of state guidelines.

The initial rollout over the next two years is only for English and math, with the expectation that other core subjects will be added later. In spring 2015, California will also overhaul its testing program to align with Common Core standards.

For many teachers, the change means a big shift in how their classrooms are supposed to look and sound. Teachers must draw out from students why an answer is correct and get them to offer fuller, more nuanced explanations for everything they're studying.

"It shouldn't be quiet when the teacher is giving the lesson," said Takacs, a fourth- and fifth-grade combination teacher, who began applying a Common Core approach after it was approved two years ago. "We want them to be active, to be giving input. The kids will say to each other, 'Hey, I like how you solved that.'"

Before Takacs adopted the approach, she said her voice dominated lessons, and her focus was on helping pupils to quickly and efficiently get to the correct answer, not on ensuring they truly understood what they were learning.

As teachers across the nation make this transition, experts say the Common Core approach will expose gaps in what teachers know – and in what they know how to explain to their students.

"Good teachers teach standards in depth, but Common Core really stresses that for all teachers," said John Fensterwald, senior editor for EdSource Today, which tracks California education policy issues. "A lot of longtime elementary teachers, for example, don't have a lot of confidence in their own math abilities, so the Common Core will be very hard on them."

YEARLONG SABBATICALS

In Santa Ana Unified, Orange County's largest school district, 44 teachers are spending this entire school year away from their classrooms. They're charged with revising the curriculum for the district's 54,000 students to better align with the new learning objectives.

Five of them met one recent morning in a conference room at Santa Ana's Adams Elementary to discuss how to teach "Charlotte's Web."

"Instead of asking students how Wilbur feels, we want them to describe the evidence the author uses to show Wilbur's feelings," said Samie Colunga, who led the group.

Currently, fourth-graders in Santa Ana read and summarize the classic children's novel. But the group agreed that a key goal should be getting children to connect a story about a pig and a spider to their own lives.

To do that, the group said, pupils will need to be prompted by more thought-provoking questions from their teacher.

"How do we gain life experiences through our choices?" teacher Shawna O'Brien suggested. "How do our life experiences shape the choices we make?"

Heads nodded as the group agreed the wording of O'Brien's second question was the type of classroom prompt that teachers should use. It's an "essential question," they said – one that challenges students to think deeper about the book's themes and which does not have a single correct answer.

Over the next few weeks, the teachers will test the lessons they've crafted in elementary, middle and high school classrooms, seeing if students are able to grasp them or whether they will need some fine-tuning. Eventually they'll help their peers roll out the lesson plans in every district classroom.

The Common Core will challenge teachers to think differently about their jobs, Colunga said. "They will have to adjust to a new way of educating students," she said. "But I think Common Core will also inspire more creativity and collaboration in classrooms, something every teacher will welcome."

DEEPER, NOT DIFFERENT

Education officials are quick to point out that much of what students learn is unchanged under the Common Core standards. Common Core describes a set of master learning objectives, not a detailed curriculum blueprint.

Still, teachers are expected to spend more time teaching to fewer standards, with new emphasis placed on lessons that promote problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

For example, in high school literature, Common Core calls for a deeper understanding of literary nonfiction, specifically texts that make arguments to large audiences. These works can include Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the Rev. Martin Luther King's letter from Birmingham Jail.

The new curriculum would require teachers to lead classroom discussions over several days for each piece. Cut from the assignment list will be some longer novels, poetry and other fiction.

For King's letter, students would debate and discuss what evidence the civil rights leader gives for why he was in Birmingham, or what evidence King shows to support why he wrote the letter in the first place. Students would also write essays analyzing specific passages of the letter.

Current lessons on King's letter often span less than one class period, with teachers asking students more general questions such as "What do you think of nonviolence protests?" or "What is King saying in this letter?"

Even with fiction, Common Core calls for teachers to pair the stories with nonfiction literature.

Jeanne Jelnick, an English teacher at University High in Irvine, will introduce a new lesson next year around "To Kill a Mockingbird," the classic novel required in freshman English.

"Instead of simply reading the book in a vacuum, teachers will supplement their reading with articles on the Great Depression, gender, race and other ideas prevalent in that time," she said. "These supplements do not diminish the book, they make it more relevant."

In another lesson on Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex," the Greek tragedy of the man who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, students will be required to read articles that study Sigmund Freud's analysis of the play. Then, they will have to make arguments in support of or against Freud's work, Jelnick said.

These lessons would also require teachers to cut other fictional work to make more room.

"Only about 1 percent of students ever become literature majors. So for most students, no one will ever ask them again about 'Oedipus' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird,'" Jelnick said. "But Common Core encourages deeper understanding of the principles behind these stories. Students will develop skills they can use across all levels."

DEBATE OVER ALGEBRA

In math, students will still need to memorize their multiplication tables, but overall less time will be spent teaching procedures and tricks to get to the right answers. Multiple-choice tests will give way to more long-form assessments that require diagramming answers and using words and pictures to explain their logic.

Teachers say that emboldening students to share how they think through problems could help other students. Not everyone may comprehend a teacher's lesson, but giving one student the opportunity to explain how he reasoned through a problem could help it click for another.

"Students come up with really interesting ways to solve things," said 20-year educator Marie Sykes, who teaches second grade at Chaparral Elementary in Capistrano Unified. "We need to give justification that it works."

The Common Core rollout has rankled some education experts who say the new learning objectives will dumb down California's standards and force a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to delivering instruction. But others counter that what California is doing now isn't properly preparing students for college and highly specialized careers.

Since 1997, schools in the state have been teaching to the California Content Standards, considered among the most rigorous in the nation.

"Everyone throws around the word 'rigorous,' but that's sort of subjective, and if you ask California teachers who've had the California standards, they've been complaining that they're a mile wide and an inch deep," Fensterwald said. "Common Core takes a different approach and focuses on the ability of students to explain what they learn."

Perhaps the biggest point of contention is Common Core's de-emphasis on taking Algebra I by the eighth grade. Proponents of Common Core say many eighth-graders aren't ready to take Algebra I, and thus it's better to build a lengthier pre-algebra foundation in middle school.

But critics charge that California has worked aggressively over the past decade to get a majority of eighth-graders into Algebra I, and that Common Core will effectively undo those gains.

At least one Orange County district has refused – through the initial Common Core rollout, anyway – to back away from eighth-grade algebra philosophy. Tustin Unified middle schools post one of the highest rates of algebra-proficient eighth-graders in the county after years of emphasizing the course above all others in middle school. The district will continue its campaign to funnel nearly every eighth-grader into algebra, providing more than 80 minutes of daily instruction, said Kathie Nielsen, the district's chief academic officer.

"There is still a lot of debate over the role of algebra in these new standards," she said. "Eighth-grade algebra is the best way to prepare students for more rigorous math and science coursework in high school."

TESTS OVERHAULED

Among the changes most noticeable to students will be an overhaul of California's standardized testing system. California and several states are working to create a system that will probably be fully computerized, with a piloted rollout as early as spring 2014 and full implementation the following year.

Students statewide, however, will continue to be tested under the current system for at least two years, meaning that California students will be learning under a revamped curriculum even as they're evaluated under the old system. That's creating some uneasiness among educators who still feel the pressure to raise their state test scores each year.

But teachers say they're taking comfort in the knowledge that Common Core is based on a best-practices approach to teaching, one that encourages them to create a more dynamic classroom environment with more student input and collaboration.

"The Common Core is not that different that we are all thinking we're going off the deep end; it's just a matter of more planning," Takacs said.

"The two-year transition will be good – I want to make sure I know what I'm doing and have confidence in my abilities."

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